Garfield Hts. honors community volunteers

Garfield Hts. honors community volunteers

A little more than year ago, UPMC St. Margaret Community Oriented Primary Care formed a partnership with Garfield Heights to create a health and human services office in the community.

Since its organization, the Garfield Heights Tenant Advisory Committee has been in charge of providing programs to help enhance the neighborhood.

UPMC St. Margaret and the advisory committee honored volunteers for their service during an Oct. 17 banquet.

"It has been a much forgotten community for a long time," said Carol Haley, UPMC St. Margaret case manager.

"It was just about bringing the community together and getting some things to them because they didn't have much up here," she said.

All of the events, which will be repeated next year, were structured, staffed and paid for by community and agency volunteers - adults and children.

The programs included a Thanksgiving Day dinner for senior citizens and shut-ins, a children's Christmas party, an Easter egg hunt, a trip to Atlantic City and a three-day health awareness screening.

Jo-Anne Lawrence, a community organizer for UPMC St. Margaret, said she was excited about the partnership between the hospital and Garfield Heights, but she is even more excited about what the future holds for the community.

According to Lawrence, groundbreaking for a UPMC Health Center in Garfield Heights will occur within the next two weeks. Lawrence said the project is "unique" in that it will be the first UPMC health center in a public housing community.

"With this health center, we are concentrating on health and human services. We're looking at the holistic approach here. We will look at what we can do in terms of social services and health services," Lawrence said, adding that the center will also offer dentistry.

Among those honored were row house tenant council President Geraldine Charlton, high-rise tenant council Treasurer Elizabeth Bullock and advisory committee Treasurer Geraldine Coleman.

"They were chosen because they were always willing to help and volunteer... They were also effective in recruiting other members in the community," Haley said.

Coleman was "thrilled" to be honored for her volunteer services, and believes there is a definite need for health and human services in the community.

"The kids are starting to do a little better since we had these different programs in our community," Coleman said. In the future, she would like a basketball court to be built.

Charlton, a resident of Garfield Heights for 23 years, has been volunteering since 1989.

"I think it's very nice and I appreciate them thinking about me. The whole community works together so we're one big happy family," Charlton said.

Bullock said, "Volunteering all the time really does something for me personally, but getting an award for it is really nice. We need all the volunteers we can get."

With approximately 4,000 residents living in the area, sometimes there is not enough manpower to sponsor the kind of programming Haley wants.

"There are some who have done a whole lot more than others. If everybody pitches in and works together, it will be a great thing in this community," she said.

Councilman Jim Ferlo said he was "proud and thankful" for the leadership and progressive response of UPMC St. Margaret.

At the banquet, Ferlo and City Controller Tom Flaherty announced they were awarding and Garfield Heights Advisory Committee a $5,000 grant.

Also in attendance at the banquet was state Rep. Frank J. Pistella, and city housing authority Executive Director Stanley Lowe.